The holiday season brings festive drinks, Christmas cookies, and…McDonald’s McRib sauce. Yes, you read that right. McDonald’s original infamous sandwich, the McRib, will be available for yet another season starting December 3. Despite McDonald’s multiple claims of discontinuing the sandwich, it always reappears each November, much to the delight of its devoted fans. The sandwich has faced controversy over the years, but seems to have enough popularity to keep it appearing like clockwork around the holidays.
To accompany the sandwich, for the first time ever, McDonald’s is releasing A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce, a half-gallon jug of the iconic sauce on the McRib sandwich McDonald’s fans know and love, decorated accordingly with a festive winter design. The new sauce will be released on November 25, and be available for a limited time while supplies last.
What is the McRib?
The McRib, originally released in 1981 at McDonald’s, has been a cultural staple since its debut. The classic sandwich includes seasoned boneless pork coated in McRib sauce topped with slivered onions and pickles on a toasted bun.
While the sandwich has returned for another year, as it usually does each November, McDonald’s announced in 2022 that that year would be its last season. They referred to it as the “McRib Farewell Tour.” This announcement came after years of controversy over what exactly the “boneless pork” in the sandwich was made of. So, when the sandwich returned in 2023, it was clear that the McRib was here to stay.
Until this year, the tangy, BBQ-esque McRib sauce itself has never been available for purchase. Tariq Hassan, chief marketing and customer experience officer at McDonald’s, said in a press release that releasing the sauce gives customers “an even bigger way to celebrate this year with A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce.”
“The McRib is more than a sandwich – it’s a part of culture, it’s a legend, it’s an event,” Hassan said.
Where can you get the McRib sandwich and sauce?
The McRib sandwich will be available for order on the McDonald’s app, in-store, and at the drive thru of participating restaurants for a limited time beginning December 3. The sauce, however, will be available exclusively at www.wholelottamcribsauce.com for $20. The half-gallon jugs will be released at 10 a.m. on November 25, while supplies last.
To go along with the new sauce, McDonald’s plans to release a holiday jingle titled “It Could Only Mean One Thing (McRib Is Here),” a “McRib-inspired anthem” created to celebrate the return of the sandwich and allow fans to kickstart both the holiday and McRib seasons. The press release said the jingle will be available “soon” on all streaming platforms. I bet a McDonald’s original song wasn’t on your 2024 bingo card.